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Making the motor/carousel assembly

A project log for Low-cost watch parts washer

Build a budget parts washer for cleaning tiny items, such as the parts of a mechanical watch

robgRobG 08/31/2023 at 07:500 Comments

The heart of this build is a carousel with holes in (for the baskets) attached via a spindle to the motor's output shaft. The motor is attached on top of the jar lid, whilst the spindle and carousel hang down into the jar containing cleaning/rinsing fluid.

The carousel can be 3D-printed (STL file in the files area) or cut from acrylic, brass, whatever.

The jar lid needs a hole drilled in the centre large enough for the motor's output shaft, in my case 4.0mm. Place the lid over a wooden block whilst drilling to ensure a nice clean, burr-free hole.

The motor can be glued in place, but in my design I 3D-printed a small enclosure to hold it more robustly, and glued that to the lid instead. STL file in the files area.

The final, and most difficult, part is the spindle. I chose to modify a stainless-steel M5 cap-head screw:

The carousel can then be attached to the spindle using an M5 nut (and perhaps some threadlock).

See photos for the completed assembly.

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